


Sugar High

by helsinkibaby



Series: In a Different Light [3]
Category: Criminal Minds
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, F/M, Fluff, Het, Romance, Workplace Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-07-29
Updated: 2010-07-29
Packaged: 2019-03-16 00:51:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 755
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13625085
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/helsinkibaby/pseuds/helsinkibaby
Summary: On Hotch’s birthday, he gets a surprise.





	Sugar High

**Author's Note:**

> Set in the same AU ‘verse as “Chemistry” and “Faith”.

“Don’t tell me you’re working late… not on your birthday.”

Hotch looks up at the sound of JJ’s voice to see her standing at his door, arms crossed over her chest reprovingly. He’s surprised, but not surprised, to see her still here – after all, they’re usually the last two to leave – and he puts down his pen, leaning back in his chair. “It’s the sugar high,” he tells her. “I’m trying to work it off.”

“Uh-huh.” Her tone matches the sceptical look on her face. “I hate to break it to you, but you didn’t have near enough cake for that.”

“I did have seconds,” he reminds her. “And it was very sugary… I take it that was a Garcia special?” Because the cake, a large, gooey chocolate affair in the shape of a briefcase, could only have come from the mind of their technical analyst. It had been delicious though, and the sight of his entire team in party hats – Gideon and Reid both with streamers around their necks – was almost enough to make him forget that he usually hated this kind of thing.

“She does have a sweet tooth,” JJ acknowledged. “There’s plenty left over too… are you taking it home or leaving it here?”

“You’re looking for seconds?” He’s teasing her, and she shrugs her shoulders exaggeratedly, raising her eyebrows to the ceiling for good measure. “Go for it. It’ll only go to waste if I take it home… there’s too much for me on my own.”

JJ throws a glance over her shoulder, and he thinks about pointing out that she can’t see the refrigerator from there. Then it strikes him that she can see the bullpen, more specifically that they are indeed the last two there. “Seriously,” she says when she turns back to him, “You shouldn’t be working here alone on your birthday… you want to… I don’t know, get a drink or something?”

She bites her lip at the end of the sentence, looking suddenly nervous, and he doesn’t need to be a profiler to know why. Even if they’re friendly, more friendly than the rest of the team suspect, he’s still her boss and they’re still in the workplace and there are many reasons why starting anything between them would be a bad idea.

However, it is his birthday, and he is on a sugar high.

“You know… I’d like that.” He stands as she breaks into a smile, her relief visible on her face. Just as suddenly as it comes though, it leaves again, and she frowns. “JJ?”

“I just…” She stops, shakes her head. “It’s nothing.”

“If it’s making you frown like that, it’s something.” He grabs his jacket and crosses the room to her in a couple of quick strides. Making an educated guess, he tries, “Are you worried about people seeing us… getting the wrong idea?”

He’s standing right in front of her, close enough to see right into her eyes, and he sees the decision being made there before she speaks. “No,” she says. “The right one.” He blinks, sure he’s heard her wrong, then the next thing he knows, her lips are on his and if he’s idly daydreamed about kissing her then the reality is better than he’d ever thought. He thinks she means it to be brief, but he wraps his arms around her waist, pulls her closer, deepening the kiss, and her arms go around his neck. He doesn’t know how long they stand there like that, but when they draw apart, all he can see is her pink cheeks and shining eyes.

For a moment, he’s not sure what to say, then decides that the truth is probably best. “I’ve wanted to do that since the first time I saw you,” he admits, and her laugh is a delighted one.

“That’s my line,” she tells him. “I thought it was just me.”

Shaking his head, he brushes a kiss to her forehead. “Come on… let’s get that drink.”

Once again, JJ surprises him. “At the risk of being forward… your place or mine?”

“Your place is closer.” He’s not sure where the words come from, but from the way the grin on her face widens, she doesn’t mind.

“We’ll take some cake,” she decides as they walk out, and when he looks at her strangely, she gives him a look that he normally associates with Garcia. “I think we’re going to need all the energy we can get.”

Hotch laughs, because he likes the sound of that.  



End file.
